Oliver Stone and his producing partner Moritz Borman have thrown their hats in the ring and will make a movie about Edward Snowden, the former systems administrator for the CIA and a counterintelligence trainer at the Defense Intelligence Agency who later worked for the National Security Agency and then made public thousands of classified documents, an act which has been called the most significant leak in U.S. history since the release of the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg. <\/p>\n
Stone and Borman bought screen rights to The Snowden Files: The Inside Story Of The Worlds Most Wanted Man, a book by Guardian journalist Luke Harding thats published by Guardian Faber. Stone will write and direct the film based on Hardings Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting of the disclosures provided by Snowden. Itll be mounted as a European co-production. <\/p>\n
I got a no comment from insiders when I asked if Snowdens rights are part of the package. Hes currently residing in Russia, after fleeing the U.S. and trying unsuccessfully to find a place to live in other countries. Harding and other Guardian journalists will also act as exclusive production and story consultants. This is the first project Stone has sparked to since he exited plans to make a movie on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. <\/p>\n
This is one of the greatest stories of our time, Stone said in a statement. A real challenge. Im glad to have the Guardian working with us. Read More <\/p>\n
WikiLeaks and its embattled founder Julian Assange keep trying to make it crystal clear they dont support DreamWorks upcoming The Fifth Estate. Today WikiLeaks published the first of Assanges letters to Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays him in the October 18 release, denying the actors request to meet prior to production. The pic directed by Bill Condon is based on Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the Worlds Most Dangerous Website by Daniel Domscheit-Berg and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assanges War on Secrecy by David Leigh and Luke Harding, which Assange calls toxic and the two most discredited books on the market. WikiLeaks previously posted a version of the Fifth Estate script online along with a rather exhaustive memo detailing everything the film gets wrong. Heres the Assange letter: <\/p>\n
Related: Julian Assange Calls Fifth Estate A Massive Propaganda Attack <\/p>\n
Dear Benedict, <\/p>\n
Thank you for trying to contact me. It is the first approach by anyone from the Dreamworks production to me or WikiLeaks. <\/p>\n
My assistants communicated your request to me, and I have given it a lot of thought and examined your previous work, which I am fond of. <\/p>\n
I think I would enjoy meeting you. <\/p>\n
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